What a British Hallmark Actually Tells You
A hallmark is the only part of a piece of jewellery that is not the maker speaking. It is struck by an independent assay office after the metal has been tested.
What the marks mean
A full British hallmark carries the sponsor mark, which says who put the piece on the market; the millesimal fineness, which says how much precious metal is in it; and the assay office mark, which says who tested it. A date letter is often added, which is why old jewellery can be dated to the year.
The numbers
925 is sterling silver. 375, 585 and 750 are 9, 14 and 18 carat gold. 950 is platinum. The number is parts per thousand of pure metal.
When it is required
In the United Kingdom, hallmarking is required by law above a weight threshold: 1 gram for gold, 7.78 grams for silver and 0.5 grams for platinum. Below that a piece may be sold unmarked, which is why a very fine chain sometimes carries no mark at all.
Why it matters
Without a hallmark you have only a description. With one you have an independent test. Our gold, silver and platinum is marked at the London Assay Office wherever the law requires it.
How we make and mark it
Every piece here is made for ONLYWAY JEWELRY in London and, where the law requires it, hallmarked at the London Assay Office. The hallmark is not decoration: it is an independent test of the metal, struck by an assay office rather than by the maker. What the marks mean.
The price on the page is the price you pay. Delivery within the United Kingdom is tracked and included, and you have thirty days to send a piece back. Delivery and returns.
